Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
District 9

District 9

Date: Sep 16 2009

Themes: Alternative

Grammar: Past Perfect Tense

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

The best science fiction uses aliens, monsters, and distant planets to comment about what’s happening right here on Earth. On the surface, the new sci-fi movie District 9 is about a clash between aliens and humans. But the film contains strong messages about controversial topics like segregation, xenophobia, and the treatment of immigrants.

District 9 is set in South Africa, where blacks and whites were kept separate for many years. In the film, aliens are forced to live in refugee camps, where they are kept separate from humans. Mason and Marni were so intrigued by the premise of District 9, they both went to see it on opening weekend. Find out if the movie met their expectations.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Marni

Marni

Mason:  District 9’s a movie that came out of nowhere. I think I first heard about it maybe a month ago, maybe.

Marni:  I read about it a few days ago, and then…

Mason:  And then a friend of mine dragged me to it opening night, and I was like, “Yeah, that sounds interesting,” and whatnot. Amazing! Right?

Marni:  Incredible. I…same thing, I read about it and I was like, “I have to go this weekend.” And that rarely happens, where I feel like opening weekend I must go to a film. But I was so intrigued by everything that I had read. And it didn’t disappoint.

Mason:  No. One, I kinda thought it was gonna be more low-budget than it was, and it was top-notch special effects. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat the entire movie.

Marni:  As was I. And I also thought it was really interesting to see a sci-fi movie that was mockumentary style, like pseudo-documentary. It made it really believable in some respects.

Mason:  Yeah. The sci-fi genre, it’s no stranger to having a lot of social commentary played out in this kind of fixed-laws universe. Even so, I was pretty shocked at how pointed a lot of the messages seemed to be about current political situations.

Marni:  Yeah, I think there’s a lot to be said for that film and I think it’s worth all the hype.

 

Grammar Point

Go Super to learn "Past Perfect Tense" from this lesson Go Super!

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

Go Super to Listen Go Super!

Mason says the new movie District 9 came out of nowhere because he first heard about it a short time ago. Both he and Marni saw it the first weekend it came out, and they agree that it is a really good movie.

Mason was surprised by how top-notch the special effects were in the movie. He had expected them to be lower quality. He was also impressed by how exciting and tense the movie was the whole time.

District 9 is filmed in the mockumentary style, which made it seem more real to Marni. She and Mason also agree that the social commentary in the film is really strong.

If aliens came to Earth, would you want to be kept separate from them? Do you like films with social commentary in them?

 

Comments

Log in to Comment

jeffrey_ljl

South Africa

Does he say “fictionalised” or fixed-laws” universe?

09:34 AM Nov 02 2023 |

ImagenIcon

ImagenIcon

El Salvador

I know this is an old threat but I´d like to add that I love the dialongs in this film the way wikus van dmerve improvise all over the film is awesome, Love when he says  “I did not have sex with one of this focking creatures man!  I would never have any kind of pornographic activity with a focking creature!!” hahaha this guy is a top-sci fiction actor.!

02:56 AM Oct 10 2012 |

kpl

kpl

Taiwan

Usually happens on films , top notch ficks are about to be said a lot to be said , sucks low budget movies get  come out of nowhere .

 

03:46 PM Apr 27 2010 |

yousef-k

Syrian Arab Republic

this is really beneficial with this good discussion point

06:52 PM Oct 09 2009 |

max1983

max1983

Germany

the film is really incredible. thanks a million englishbaby for this film tip.  

05:49 PM Sep 22 2009 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

It is a hard issue! I think that if they don't offer danger I wouldn't find any problem to live with them…

01:38 PM Sep 22 2009 |

tiagon85

Brazil

That´s not my best movie style but i have heard a lot of good things of it. So, i must check it out

10:05 PM Sep 20 2009 |

sofree

sofree

China

Depends, it they are friendly and look nice, no need to keep separate.

 

And depends, basically I don't want anything too heavy in a movie.

09:24 AM Sep 20 2009 |

nosa romance

Egypt

sorry , i have't seen that film and i don't like since fiction movies.

05:30 AM Sep 19 2009 |

evelyn_BR

evelyn_BR

Brazil

if the humans dislike humans of different ethnics groups … imagine in relation to E.Ts!!! If they exist they are afraid of us… ( but I don't believe in E.Ts :P)

03:21 PM Sep 18 2009 |

EDITH ^.~

EDITH ^.~

United States

Sounds like this is a good movie to watch.

11:31 PM Sep 17 2009 |

Ca_Brazil

Ca_Brazil

Brazil

Firstly i dont believe in aliens or these things at all. But if something like that happened i wouldnt want to meet them. I do like social comentary at some films because it makes me think about how real life sometimes seems imaginary but the things are out there and they dont change just because i dont like them.

09:56 PM Sep 17 2009 |

rosendo

rosendo

Mexico

i havent seen the film , but i think this's a mocumentary.

ASKO !!!!!

01:45 PM Sep 17 2009 |

ImagenIcon

ImagenIcon

El Salvador

This movie is freaking amazing!  The best alien movie ever. Trust me.

11:50 PM Sep 16 2009 |

ayhann

ayhann

Turkey

God!they are speaking too fast.especially Marni.it was like she skipped some words.anyway,i dont like films with alien stuff.

09:34 PM Sep 16 2009 |

mim_dica

mim_dica

India

well i don't like the so called fiction movies but i like its concept of separation .in today's world there is lot of racial discrimination like black white or some religious differences among us .but i feel very sorry for those people who actually does this type of things they are surely be punished in this world.or here after .we should not forget the we all are human being there might be different communities in fact many but there are black sheep's in every community .you can t blame the whole community if a person done some thing wrong .as far as film is concern the alien or whatever weird fictitious creature are there they are just human made .why iam writing all this thing bcz for the only one concept racial discrimination so plz stop this evil act others wise will go to hell .i don't know much about this movie

07:58 PM Sep 16 2009 |

shehrazat

shehrazat

Turkey

If Aliens came to Earth, first of all , I would get shocked. Because it would turn upside down all the things I knew and believed. My perception of the universe would completely change, and I would feel unsafe. At first, I would probably get afraid, then I would start to ask a lot of questions and they would run away from me whenever they saw me.

 If some craeatures come to Earth from another planets , I think it is normal to keep them seperate from us for a while. And I don’t think that means discrimanation, on the contrary it is necessary for us to be careful before we get enough information about them. After it is proved that they are not dangerous to people, they can live among us. We can become friends, get married and have half bred kidsJ

07:22 PM Sep 16 2009 |

Vuqar_134

Vuqar_134

Azerbaijan

Very beautiful

07:21 PM Sep 16 2009 |

lalalabee

lalalabee

South Korea

movie was great!

It's very original..

07:10 PM Sep 16 2009 |

lalalabee

lalalabee

South Korea

movie was great!

It's very original..

07:10 PM Sep 16 2009 |

Likes (15):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast